BlogBlog DescriptionCopyright Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com
Wed, 03 September 2014 08:51:34Wed, 03 September 2014 08:51:34Graph Tool in Adobe IllustratorComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/september/03/graph-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/september/03/graph-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/september/03/graph-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Wed, 03 September 2014 08:51:34 Creating & Resizing Artboards in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/creating-resizing-artboards-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/creating-resizing-artboards-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/creating-resizing-artboards-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 14:07:47 Gradient Tool in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/gradient-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/gradient-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/gradient-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 14:06:42 Magic Wand Tool in Adobe IllustratorComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/magic-wand-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/magic-wand-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/magic-wand-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 14:04:44 Stroke Panel in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/stroke-panel-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/stroke-panel-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/stroke-panel-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 14:03:23 Width Tool in Adobe IllustratorComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/width-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/width-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/width-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 14:01:41 Rotate Tool in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/rotate-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/rotate-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/rotate-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:46:45 Pencil Tool in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:45:24 Pencil Smooth Tool in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-smooth-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-smooth-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/pencil-smooth-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:35:41 Path Eraser Tool in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/path-eraser-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/path-eraser-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/path-eraser-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:33:31 Selection & Direct Selection Tools in Adobe Illustrator Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/selection-direct-selection-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/selection-direct-selection-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/selection-direct-selection-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:31:33 Symbol Tools in Adobe IllustratorComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/symbol-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/symbol-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/symbol-tools-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:26:11 Perspective Tool in Adobe Illustrator http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/perspective-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/perspective-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/perspective-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:14:06 Blend Tool in Adobe IllustratorComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/blend-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/blend-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/july/01/blend-tool-in-adobe-illustrator/Tue, 01 July 2014 09:07:59 Bitrix24 is an Office Manager’s Best FriendComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/april/11/bitrix24-is-an-office-manager-s-best-friend/Computer System Intelligence, CSI, has been open since 2009 and every year our company continues to grow. The amount of calls and daily tasks are too much to handle for a program like Outlook for example. We needed a solution and Bitrix24 was it. It’s not a perfect solution but for our office it’s the best resource we’ve found so far. Bitrix24 Call Log One of the easiest things to do when answering the phone is grabbing a sticky note and jotting a phone message, but keeping track of these messages always leads to cluttered desks and missing assignments. With Bitrix24 everything is web based. Someone calls we search for their company, log the call and assign the responsible party. No one misses a beat and our desks stay clutter free. Bitrix24 Task Management Our office has multiple departments with in-office employees, remote employees, and contractors. Assigning and tracking tasks through email and phone are two of the most inefficient ways our company used to spend its time. With Bitrix24 we can assign a task immediately, set deadlines, client information, and upon completion our managers receive an instant notification as well. Even if our employees are at a client’s location with the Bitrix24 app they will receive the same instant notification with the same detailed task information. The downside to the task manager is the deadline system and the default functionality. When deadlines are created the one task fills your entire calendar until the deadline, unless you indicate a given start and end time. The default popups to create tasks are rather annoying because every job of ours is very detail oriented, which means we need to expand the task creator twice before it has all the functionality we need. It’s only a few extra seconds but it’s still a problem. Bitrix24 Calendar As we mentioned above the Bitrix24 Task Manager has an extensive customization list, but why doesn’t the calendar? The calendar lacks the ability to have a check-off list &amp; instant messenger notification. Though it does have its own features that distinguish it from the task manager the only one which has been relevant to our office is the ease of setting the time and date of a meeting. Unlike the task creator this process only take a couple clicks and you’re done. Bitrix24 Overall If you’re looking for a free office management system for an office of 12 or less, this is definitely an option to consider.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/april/11/bitrix24-is-an-office-manager-s-best-friend/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/april/11/bitrix24-is-an-office-manager-s-best-friend/Fri, 11 April 2014 14:09:55 SEO: "Content is King" vs Chuck NorrisComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/seo-content-is-king-vs-chuck-norris/How to do San Antonio Small Business Search Engine Optimization: On-Page Optimization The other day I was at a mixer and a fellow marketing chap comes along and tells me a joke… Marketing Chap: “So, did you hear? Chuck Norris lost his throne.” Me: “…To who?” Marketing Chap: “Content” It was at that moment when the word, “Content” squeaked from his lips that I knew I had to do something. I have the responsibility to teach the public about the difference between king of web and ruler of the universe . SA SEO: Keyword Research Keywords are the building blocks of language and of search. A great example of this is “tanks shooting” verses “shooting tanks”. To search engines everything is important; the order of the words, spelling, punctuation, capitalization. When choosing your keywords research is always required. Yes, you may be the king of your profession, but if you’re ignorant about THIS process you’ll lose to your competition. One of the best tools to research keywords is Google Keyword Tool . With this tool you can see if your word is in high competition, see how many searches are actually occurring for this keyword and it will even give you related keyword results. The Difference: Keyword Research vs. Chuck Norris When someone searches for “Chuck Norris” with Google Keyword Tool his competition is always low. SEO: Keyword Placement For basic SEO efforts your keywords must be placed in title tag, headers, meta tags and of course copy. If you’re new to this process keep in mind over-stuffing your keywords is a negative action to search engines. Attempting to manipulate search engines can be harmful to your website and can lower your rankings long term. So instead use your keywords naturally and strategically. If your page targets the keyword phrase "Alamo" then you might naturally include content about the Alamo itself, the history of the mission , or even recommend San Antonio hotels. On the other hand, if you simply sprinkle the word "Alamo" onto a page with irrelevant content, such as a page about Search Engine Optimization, then your efforts to rank for "Alamo" will be a long, uphill battle …sort of like the Alamo. Where keywords need to go: • At least once in the title tag, the closer to the beginning the better. • Once in the Header (H1 Tag) • At least 3 times in the copy, this will also depend on your amount of content. • At least in one image (alt tag), this can also help with image searches • Once in the url • Once in the meta description tag, doesn’t help with search result but it’s the snippet searchers read • DO NOT include your keyword as a link on your page, Previous Ex: Alamo (Do Not Link), San Antonio Hotels (Link) The Difference: Keyword Placement vs. Chuck Norris When Chuck Norris doesn’t like his Keyword Placement he changes it by dragging his finger across the screen. Lesson Learned: “Content is King” but not of Chuck Norris Though “Content” may be King to any and all business owners, bloggers and website developers, remember there have been many kings over the years, but only one Chuck Norris. Keep this in mind the next time you hear the phrase “Content is King” or you may find out why Chuck Norris wins a game of “connect 4” in 3 turns.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/seo-content-is-king-vs-chuck-norris/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/seo-content-is-king-vs-chuck-norris/Thu, 30 January 2014 14:12:23 My Personal Top Ten Facebook Fan PagesComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/my-personal-top-ten-facebook-fan-pages/Are you on Facebook? It’s a question that sometimes feels redundant because so many of us are. It’s a connector that makes would be acquaintances into potential friends …or literal “friends” if you’re talking in Facebook terms. So as I do every morning, while devouring my bacon &amp; egg breakfast taco with extra salsa, I visited one of my favorite blogs or as they like to be called “online magazines” and read a great article. “ Top 10 Small Business Facebook Pages: 2012 ” and this made me wonder… Any guesses? No, not about the amazing achievement Old Spice created with Terry Crew’s Interactive Musical on Vemeo , which is simply amazing. As Mark Schaefer said on his twitter account, “ @markwschaefer : 1 of the most creative interactive promotions I've seen. Must Watch it to the end!” (Yes, this was a major side note, but probably the most interesting thought you’ll take away from this article. That is unless you’ve never had a bacon &amp; egg breakfast taco, in which case I ask you to stop reading now and drive to San Antonio’s famous Rolando’s .) But the real question I was asking myself was, “Who are my personal Top 10 Facebook fan pages?” And after days of analysis and a Costco Pack of Redbull the verdicts are in: #10 Dos Equis Unlike most pages, people flock to post to on this page. The legendary commercials of the most interesting man in the world have given rise to the creativity in each and every one of Dos Equis fans. Not long ago they held a contest for the best “commercial like” lines and those who won received prizes and the honors of having their lines in the next upcoming commercial. Right now they’re running an Add to the Legend campaign. Where fans create their sayings using the Dos Equis Facebook app and “like” the quotes within the app. "His shadow is his wing man." -Pamela B. (last rounds winner) But the absolute best part about being a fan of Dos Equis has to be the invitation I received to attend The Most Interesting Event. Did I mention this included FREE Dos Equis …the lines took about 30 minutes and we were only allowed to take two beers at a time. Overall, it was still one of the most memorable experiences I’ve been a part of in the past couple years. Video #9 Mayhem “In life, sometimes you're the parked car, and sometimes you're the huge flowerpot teetering off the balcony 6 floors above.” – Mayhem Quotes are the hardest thing to get shares on and Mayhem receives hundreds at a time. Props for the simplicity. #8 Men’s Health As you’ve probably realized by now, I’m a man’s man. I like to read up on the Guy Food Guide from time to time, learn how to workout like a Spartan in the mirror and of course get tips on the opposite sex . Let start with the first: Food Everyone loves food. Men love food more. I love food more than most men. Serious though, I like to stay healthy and the articles Men’s Health put forth on their Facebook account are just that; great tips for males who probably eat out too much. Second: SPARTAAA! For some guys the only thing they like staring at more than a beautiful woman is possibly themselves. So of course we want to look good. Don’t you remember the look your girlfriend (at the time) gave Gerard Butler when made his first kill appearance? I do. Lastly: Tips on Women Who doesn’t need tips on women, sex, and everything in between? We may be from separate planets but we’re on Facebook together and the advice from The Girl Next Door is definitely better than advice a friend ever gave me (no offense guys). #7 Red Bull Videos and photos of crazy adrenaline sports I’ll never attempt myself… THIS IS AWESOME! End of Story. #6 G4TV These guys (and gals) are amazing. Attach Of The Show is definitely one of my favorite shows and their social media, on multiple platforms, is engaging to the power of 3. I give them props for always making the shows about the viewer and in Facebook’s case user. They continuous keep the audience involved, it’s almost as if they broadcast the show with millions in the studio audience. I still miss the Kevin Pereira ( @kpereira ) and Olivia Munn ( @oliviamunn ) combo… good times. #5 Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader If you’ve never heard of this stop at your local Barnes and Nobel book store and buy a copy. Sadly (at least I’m admitting to it), these are some of my favorite books. They are filled with random facts, stories (short &amp; long), weird laws, and that’s just the tip of it. They bring the same type of information to their Facebook and day in and day out their posts thoroughly entertain me. #4 Film Riot Film Riot is a podcast you can download on iTunes. It’s a show about wanna-be filmmakers who create “how-to” videos for viewers on low budget special effects. They have some of the best skits available on youtube and are very well produced. Though the concepts behind the videos may not be professional – PMS: The Horror Movie – the end results and teachings always are. This is one page I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for editing tips or pure entertainment on a lunch break. #3 Tough Mudder As their about says, “Probably the toughest event on the planet.” These events are hardcore 10+ mile obstacles. They pride themselves on 1) Not being boring 2) Not really caring 3) Working as a team. The point of the courses are not to finish first, but to finish as a team. Events and pages such as this truly bring less stress in our lives, because they allow us to prepare for something that typically would never happen in our lives. When all of us already have so many things to worry about, this allows competitors to get crazy with one another and build a bond with teammates friends that would have otherwise been impossible. #2 Creativity I’m in marketing. I have to love this page! Creativity is a magazine that relishes in all things creative. Most of what incorporates its issues are from ad agencies all over the world. It’s a great Facebook page if your enjoy things creative such as the Old Spice Musical from above. #1 Dexter Yes, yes, yes, the show is amazing, but look at how well they market during the off season. This is a great example of how to keep the excitement rolling, with quotes, photos, and videos. It’s a casual day when a simple quote from Dexter receives 40,000+ likes. Their post, “One month until the season premiere of Dexter!” received 270,000 likes. It helps when your audience loves you and the audience of Dexter so obviously does. That’s my Facebook top ten. Who’s yours? THE BOTTOM LINE: This blog represents comments and questions from my own mind about social media, marketing, food, maybe sports, and anything creative or delicious in the hope to entertain a few people in the world.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/my-personal-top-ten-facebook-fan-pages/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2014/january/30/my-personal-top-ten-facebook-fan-pages/Thu, 30 January 2014 14:11:07 Simplicity in Print AdvertisingComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/december/11/simplicity-in-print-advertising/Simplicity in Print Advertising Graphic Designers and Agencies have continuously encouraged their clients to follow a simplistic approach whether it’s developing a print advertisement (above), a landing page for Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or a new logo design. The worry is our attention span. Example, DVRs. Researchers at Boston College argue television viewers watching recorder television are more influence by brands while fast-forwarding , than those during live TV. Why? Because when people are fast-forwarding through the Walking Dead's their favorite TV show's commercials they’re paying close attention to the commercials, while awaiting to immediately hit the play button on their show’s return. Why Duracell Approved Such Simplicity Imagining a Duracell Battery is almost automatic when flipping to this Duracell Ad in a magazine. The creators, Grey (Mumbai), wanted their simplicity to create curiosity, which is why this ad takes another dramatic approach by not including the Duracell logo. Logos are the building blocks of graphic design, so for Duracell to trust their Agency when they said, “Oh, by the way this campaign isn’t going to use your logo”, it was truly a sign of trust that every agency/freelancer wishes they could have with a client. What Makes This Ad Great It’s hard to get emotional when you’re advertising batteries, but over the years Duracell has made us realize batteries play an important role in our daily lives . Now Duracell is helping us realize not only the positive side of the battery but also the negative. When viewing this ad for the first time your eyes immediately go to the plus sign (positive side) and then flow naturally toward the minus sign (negative side). Typically, rule of thumb on an advertisement using the positive-then-a-negative approach will always say the positive first to not alarm the audience to turn the page. There’s always an exception though. DirecTV’s campaign “Get rid of cable” starts with the negative outcomes in purchasing cable while ending with the no hassle solution of DirecTV. It's great competitive advertsing. With this award winning campaign Duracell grabs our attention with its simplicity and the copy/graphic design elements work perfectly together to send us their new campaign message about the positives and negatives of battery-powered devices.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/december/11/simplicity-in-print-advertising/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/december/11/simplicity-in-print-advertising/Wed, 11 December 2013 14:13:44 How to use Facebook as (Your Fan Page) Computer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/november/19/how-to-use-facebook-as-your-fan-page/The words, "My Facebook is broken!" still echo in the corner of our office. Our client was confused of the new facebook change, as they could no longer view, like or share their fan page's newsfeed. For some reason Facebook found it too simple to manage pages by the drop down of a gear. Not that's its more difficult, but for companies and people who manage mulitple accounts it's an unnecessary extra step. The Newly Added Step to View, Like &amp; Share Your Page's Newsfeed 1. Click the Gear in the upper right corner - Drop down will occur. 2. Click the appropriate Fan Page - Redirect to Fan Page Profile will occur. (keep in mind at this point the default setting should allow you to post as the Fan Page on the profile page ONLY) 3. Click Edit Page - Drop down will occur. 4. Click Use Facebook as (Your Page Name) Note: "Use Facebook as..." will ONLY appear to Page Managers. Hopefully these steps will help you or your clients the next time they think Facebook is broken.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/november/19/how-to-use-facebook-as-your-fan-page/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/november/19/how-to-use-facebook-as-your-fan-page/Tue, 19 November 2013 14:14:57 Top 3 Ways to Stay Relevant to Search EnginesComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/24/top-3-ways-to-stay-relevant-to-search-engines/Below we examine three of the top ways to gain recognition from search engines. None of these will make you an overnight success, but they will certainly put you on the path to being top of search engines every time. It's important to keep in mind that these ideas are just for on-site techniques and not for the back end (meta tags, descriptions, etc) or off-site (backlinking, etc) 1. Consistently Updated Original Content A blog is the most popular example of the type of original content that you can use to keep your site constantly updated. Search engines love to see that a website is constantly being updated with new content and is staying relevant. This doesn't mean that you need to post once a day, 7 days a week. This means that if you update your blog once a week, then that's sufficient enough to show the search engines that your site is relevant. Make sure it is original content though. It's totally fine to link out or quote from other articles, but the content must be originally written by YOU. Even if you change a few words around, search engines know and you can be penalized for that. Search engines are cracking down more and more on people who simply copy &amp; paste other people's content onto their site. The length of the blog post doesn't necessarily matter either. You'll get a lot of arguments of people saying that you MUST write 1000+ words or else search engines won't even count it. But that's hog wash. Look at Seth Godin's blog , very short but relevant blog posts. The actual content of the blog shouldn't be determined by the word count; it should be written for your audience! If you can get your topic out in 100 words or less, more power to you! Also, don't keyword stuff. Example (if my keyword is bacon): Boy, I love bacon, bacon is one of those bacon goodness foods that I love because bacon is great and if bacon wasn't around then bacon wouldn't be great and bacon IS great so I'm glad that bacon is around. That sentence is kind of ridiculous. Make it readable. You're not writing for search engines, you're writing for people. 2. Comments If people leave comments on your blog, then that's a great indicator from search engines that people love your content. It's OK if you don't get a lot of comments or any comments for a while, but comments can be a great way to gain a bit more authority. This isn't permission to leave comments under fake names and email addresses. This is simply saying that you should do the work to promote your content. The more interesting your content is and the more it's being shared throughout social spaces, and the more consistency you have with posting blogs, the more likely you'll get more &amp; more comments. 3. Sharing News Articles Some of the most popular sites in the world do nothing but share news articles from other people. It's OK to share news articles, just as long as you don't share the ENTIRE article. Take a look at our news section. You'll see that we copy a bit of the news, then we direct the reader to go to the original article. This is good SEO/content for us and for the original article. This isn't as great as original content, but it's a good start. If all you have time for each week is to post up a news article on your website, that's better than nothing. And who knows, you may become THE news source for that particular subject. Normal people can't be everywhere on the internet at once so it's nice to be able to get our news about a particular subject from one source. There you have it! In our opinion, these are the top three ways to gain recognition from the search engines. Do you have anything else that works well?http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/24/top-3-ways-to-stay-relevant-to-search-engines/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/24/top-3-ways-to-stay-relevant-to-search-engines/Fri, 24 May 2013 14:16:44 Google I/O 2013 - Chromebook ReviewComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/17/google-io-2013-chromebook-review/Among all of the activities, sights, sounds, networking opportunities and more at Google I/O 2013, there are some other neat perks, including free stuff. One of the items that was given to attendees was a Chromebook . The screen is very reflective! But it looks sharp. Here is a list of specs: 1. A spectacular view 4.3 million pixels - each invisible to the unaided eye - work together to deliver crisp text, vivid colors, and extra-wide viewing angles. The 12.85" screen has the highest pixel density of any laptop, and a 3:2 photographic format designed for the web puts every one of those pixels to good use. 2. Everything at your fingertips Organize windows, swipe through apps, and edit photos with the tip of your finger. A 0.55mm layer of touch-enabled glass fused directly to the screen provides smooth touch interactions while preserving clarity. 3. Precision design Pixel is machined from an anodized aluminum alloy to a tolerance of 0.1mm, leaving nothing extraneous or distracting: vents are hidden, screws invisible, and stereo speakers seamlessly tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard. 4. Crystal clear sound Powerful, high quality speakers are hidden beneath the keyboard to preserve the sleek, machined aluminum design. A microphone array and active noise cancellation help ensure that all audio is clear and lifelike. 5. Etched glass touchpad You immediately notice the feel and precision of the touchpad. Pixel's made from etched glass, painstakingly analyzed and honed using a laser microscope, resulting in exceptional smoothness and accuracy. 6. Backlit keyboard Backlights in the screen and keyboard respond to both the room's ambient lighting and how Pixel is being used. For example, when watching a full-screen video, the keyboard automatically dims to an appropriate level. 7. Piano hinge A piano hinge not only makes it possible to open and close Pixel with a single finger, it's also engineered to augment the range of the two Wi-Fi antennas and act as a heatsink to help keep the machine cool. 8. The fastest connectivity Pixel has stellar Wi-Fi range thanks to two precisely positioned antennas with dual-band support. LTE is engineered into the machine for blazing fast connections on the go. 9. One terabyte of Google Drive* Access and share photos, videos, documents, and files across all your devices. Pixel comes with one terabyte of cloud storage, free for 3 years. 10. The best of Google Your favorite Google products shine on the Chromebook Pixel. Watch YouTube at its highest resolution, video chat in high definition with Google+ Hangouts, and navigate Google Maps. It's an exciting new laptop with a lot of great features!http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/17/google-io-2013-chromebook-review/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/may/17/google-io-2013-chromebook-review/Fri, 17 May 2013 14:18:03 Understanding Crawlers, Spiders & RobotsComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/26/understanding-crawlers-spiders-robots/In this weeks 'Tech in 60 Sec' Podcast, we explain what crawlers, spiders &amp; robots are and their main purpose in creating search results. Click here to Listen to the podcast.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/26/understanding-crawlers-spiders-robots/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/26/understanding-crawlers-spiders-robots/Fri, 26 April 2013 14:19:49 How To Create a Stellar Logo Design for Your BrandComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/17/how-to-create-a-stellar-logo-design-for-your-brand/Logo design always starts out with a great idea or concept. Besides having an eye for design, one must possess knowledge of vectors with a thorough understanding of whatever program you are using to create. This entry will point out very important things to keep in mind while developing your logo. Brainstorming and planning are key with logo design: I’ve prepared these considerations for anyone ready to dive into the world of branding. GREAT IDEAS Envision your brand, first thing is first, get in front of a computer and research as much as you can. Take into consideration what exactly you want to convey and what needs to be emphasized. This can be accomplished by using proper subject matter, stylizing, weight, color, balance and shapes. By visualizing your brand with enough planning and research, your end result will appear to fit and clearly communicate your goods or services. This is absolutely key when designing a successful logo and should always be in the back of your mind while conceptualizing your design. Once you have chosen your concept, grab some paper and prepare to sketch some logomark thumbnails. Always start with black and white to help ensure that your logo is legible, clear and reproducible without any distracting features. Next is to add some color, stylizing and subtle effects that will help make your design stand out. REPRODUCIBILITY A logo’s versatility is very important, as that’s the main component of a company’s identity. This means it must be reproducible using a wide range of formats and processes while keeping its integrity. Logos are printed on pretty much anything small like business cards and pens to extremely large billboards and signs. Logos need to work well using traditional print methods like screen printing for apparel, as well as other things a consumer may want like stamps, stickers and embroidery. A logo must also look good on screen for use on websites and other RGB media. Its always a good idea to test your logo out on a screen set at 72dpi at an inch wide to see if any issues occur. Things to watch for: How much detail do you need? Lots of small shapes and thin strokes should always be avoided White or negative space between shapes should be consistent and not too close together Gradients should be used gingerly but always creative and only when they enhance Getting carried away is always too easy when one has a need to want to be fun and interesting COLOR PALETTE Color creates emotion, it also creates persuasion and should never be underestimated. Cool, warm, neutral, vivid, complimentary, analogous, soft, light, dark, bright, saturated – all can be used effectively to enhance your message. The combination of these colors are equally important as they create balance, contrast and weight. Choosing and experimenting with different color options and combinations is fun but must be taken very seriously. For example, it wouldn’t be a good choice to use red for a dentist office. Color logos that use a large range of CMYK colors can look really great but can also be very pricey and difficult to reproduce. Always consider keeping your logo to a couple of colors to keep cost down. Use tints of the colors when more levels are needed. Small color pallets can also work to keep logos from looking too cluttered. SIMPLICITY? Yes and no. YES, logo designs should be simple to effectively communicate an idea and to be easily reproduced. NO, they shouldn’t be limited to simplistic shapes. A logo has to work to differentiate it from its competition, so it’s always a good idea to add your own style to make your design unique. A little twist, shape or tapered line can make the design much more dynamic. CHOOSING A TYPEFACE Once your logomark has been designed and is up to par with your expectations, it is now time to choose what typeface you want to use for the logotype part of your design. This means choosing something that will complement the shapes, lines and style of your logo. Try not to choose anything too whimsical, funky or illustrative. Fonts like this are fun but can seriously compromise the legibility and seriousness of your logo and your brand. With that said, I hope these tips give you something to keep in mind as you design your logo. Happy designing!http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/17/how-to-create-a-stellar-logo-design-for-your-brand/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/17/how-to-create-a-stellar-logo-design-for-your-brand/Wed, 17 April 2013 14:21:15 Combining The Power of Social & SEOComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/10/combining-the-power-of-social-seo/SEO and social media used to be two separate entities. Some will still argue that they still are, and you can still get results from using just one or the other. The only problem with just using one or the other these days is that people expect a lot more out the companies that they work with. They expect not only good rankings in Google, but they also expect to see some sort of online presence. Which means, that you can get to the top of Google, but without any sort of fan base or presence to entice and instill trust into people, then there's nothing stopping them from going to your competitor, who is not only on the first page of Google, but who also has an awesome social presence. We came across an article titled, What Every Leader Needs To Know About SEO and it brought up some great points. One point in particular really stuck out: "In the end, rankings don’t matter. Traffic doesn’t matter. Only conversions matter, because they can be measured in dollars and cents." Search engine optimization is highly recommended and needs to be utilized within your online marketing campaign. But there also needs to be more to your campaign than simply 'getting to the top of Google'. That's where social media marketing and search engine optimization work extremely well together. Every new piece of content from your website that you put out into the internet sphere, is a link back to your website. Meaning, every time you post on your FB, Google+ or Twitter page, that's a searchable opportunity. You may post JUST the thing that someone is looking for. Not only that, but building a community is extremely valuable to gaining conversions. It's about gaining trust and you gain trust by being a valuable source. Well what better way to show that you're a valuable asset to your industry than by sharing great information and building your community? People LOVE to share their opinions on social networks, good and bad. However, if they walk away pleased with you in one way or another (whether it's from great content, great service, great product, etc) they're more likely to post on their own FB, as well as yours, to share their joy. The list of benefits of combining social media marketing and search engine optimization is a long one and should be considered carefully. If you're thinking about what social media and SEO can do for YOUR business, talk to a professional about it. Feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter with any questions you may have.http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/10/combining-the-power-of-social-seo/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/april/10/combining-the-power-of-social-seo/Wed, 10 April 2013 14:22:23 The Business Tablet That Fits In ITComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/25/the-business-tablet-that-fits-in-it/Is the Microsoft Surface Pro right for your business? Whether this is the right tablet to implement in your business is debatable, but it is definitely worth the look. Unlike most tablets on the market, the advantage of a tablet running a full professional version of Windows 8 is the ability to implement it in a domain environment. What does that mean? Security and manageability. Whether a business has a server on premise or in the cloud, this makes an easy addition. The Microsoft Surface Pro has an expected release date of February 9th. Unlike the Surface RT, which can only run Windows 8-optimized Metro apps, the Surface Pro runs Microsoft's full Windows 8 Pro operating system. That means it can handle all legacy Windows apps. The scant app selection for the Surface RT is a significant weakness for the device. The Surface Pro is remedy to that problem, but it comes with its own drawbacks. Read more here: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/22/technology/mobile/microsoft-surface-pro-release-date/index.htmlhttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/25/the-business-tablet-that-fits-in-it/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/25/the-business-tablet-that-fits-in-it/Fri, 25 January 2013 14:23:53 The Future of Computer RepairComputer System Intelligencehttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/24/the-future-of-computer-repair/Is computer repair a recession-proof business? Well, yes and no. Computer repair will remain strong as it is a need versus a want, but like any other business it will have to evolve. Computer repair at our headquarters is no longer local to San Antonio or even Texas for that matter. Diagnostics, troubleshooting, and computer repair can now be done much more reliably, faster, and more cost effective. Businesses have come to realize the cost advantage and productivity gains by having remote monitoring and support agreements. These service agreements go beyond the traditional help desk support where a user calls in and has to wait on the phone. Users can now submit requests with the click of a button and their system can be addressed while they can still work on their computer to stay productive! With vendors like Level Platforms, Computer System Intelligence (CSI) as well as other computer repair service companies are able to evolve and offer unmatched service and value. Level Platforms Voted Best Remote Monitoring and Management Channel Vendor More than 3,000 VARs and MSPs award Level Platforms top spot in Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software in Best Channel Vendor survey Ottawa, ON, Canada – January 4, 2013 – Level Platforms, a global leader in remote monitoring and management (RMM) software, today announced that it has been recognized by Business Solutions magazine readers as the Best Channel Vendor for 2013 in the Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) category. Read more here: http://www.levelplatforms.com/News_Events/Items/news_event01031301.aspxhttp://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/24/the-future-of-computer-repair/
http://www.csintel.com/blog/2013/january/24/the-future-of-computer-repair/Thu, 24 January 2013 14:25:21